Window sash weatherstrip



United States Patent This invention relates to a window sashWeatherstrip, and more. particularly to a window sash Weatherstripfabricated from a plastic material and which will effectively serve as aWeatherstrip when mounted on a slidable sash.

The window sash Weatherstrip of the present invention is particularlyuseful in connection with sliding windows such as those provided inbuses, auto-mobiles, aircraft and other vehicles.

In the past, window sash weatherstrips have been principally fabricatedfrom materials such as wool or synthetic organic filament pile (madefrom such plastics as nylon, vinyl, polyesters, polyethylene andpolypropylene), cloth, felt, flocked rubber and various rubberizedfabrics. It has been considered desirable to substitute rigid plasticfor these materials because rigid plastic has several properties whichare desirable in a Weatherstrip. For example, rigid plastic isimpervious to moisture and gases; it is durable; easily adapted to massproduction manufacture and has a relatively low cost. It has, however,been diflicult to utilize rigid plastic for a weatherstrip because it ishard to obtain a good seal between the plastic and the contacting memberto prevent the passage of air and moisture and also to obtain lowfriction sliding action between-the plastic and the contacting memher.

One solution to this problem is disclosed in United States Patent3,018,525. The present invention provides an alternate solution inwhich-the amount of plastic which must be used is reduced approximatelyone-half, thus resulting in a considerable manufacturing saving.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a window sashWeatherstrip fabricated from a rigid plastic material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a window sash Weatherstripwhich will form a weather-tight seal with a contacting member.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a window sashWeatherstrip which requires only approximately one-half as much materialas prior art weatherstr-ips require.

Another object of the invention is to provide a window sash Weatherstripwhich will firmly engage the sash and at the same time has structure forsealing engagement with a guide channel, the Weatherstrip structurepermitting use thereof in channels having relatively large dimensionaltolerances.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following descriptionand appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a sliding window construction inwhich one embodiment of the winice application to the details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and ofbeing practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to beunderstood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is forthe purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a window structure 10 of the type commonlyemployed in bus construction is illustrated. The window construction 10comprises a generally rectangular wind-ow frame 12 having left and rightjanrbs 14, 16 connectedtogether at their upper and lower ends by,respectively, a header 18 and a fixed sash 20. The frame 12 is mountedin an opening 22 provided in vehicle body structure 24.

Mounted in the frame 12 are a pair of generally rectangular sashes 20,26. The upper sash 26 is slidable and the lower sash 20 is fixed. Asabove-mentioned, the lower sash serves to connect the lower ends offrame jambs 14, 16.

, The .slidable sash 26 comprises left and right stiles 28, 30, joinedtogether at their upper and lower ends by, respectively, a top rail.32and a meeting or bottom rail 34. A lock 36, 38 is provided on each uppercornerof the sash 26 on the interior surface or face thereof.

The lower sash 20 comprises left and right stiles 40, 42 joined togetherat the upper and lower ends by, respectively, a meeting or top rail 44,and a bottom rail 46. Each sash is provided with a window pane element48, 50.

The jarnb structure is illustrated in FIGURE 2. As will be noted, thejarnb 16 is constructed from two members, an elongated L-shaped member52 and an elongated U-shaped member 54. The L-shaped member may befabricated from any desired metallic material, such as, for example,steel or aluminum. However, the channel member 54 should be fabricatedfrom a relatively high strength material, such as steel, in order to becapable of forming lock racks and withstanding the stresses of the sashwhich it supports. The U-shaped member 54 is secured to one leg orflange 56 of the L-shaped member in any suitable manner, such as byriveting.

As will be noted, the legs 58, 60 of the U-shaped member 54 are parallelto the leg 62 of the L-shaped member to thus form a pair of channels ortracks 64, 66. The upper portion of the channel 64 forms a track for thewindow lock 38, while the lower portion is utilized to fixedly mount thelower sash 20. The movable sash 26 is slidably received in the otherchannel 66. Inturned lips 67, 69 are formed on the outer ends of legs60, 62 to retain the movable sash 26 in place.

The Weatherstrip 68 of the present invention is secured to a movablesash 26 and isreceived and retained in the channel 66.

The Weatherstrip 68 is a continuous strip fabricated from an organicpolymeric material. The plastic should have such physical properties asimpermeability to moisture and air, toughness, stability, and a lowcoeflicient of friction. The material should be flexible and rigid as itmust be able to yield under pressure and return to its original shapeupon the release of pressure. A preferred organic polymeric material ispro-propylene. Additives,

such as pigments and fillers as commonly used in the As may best be seenin FIGURE 2, the Weatherstrip 68 has a channel-shaped cross-sectionalcontour comprising a bottom wall 70 and a pair of side walls 72, 74extending angularly outwardly therefrom. The outer end portions 76, 78of the side walls extend straight outwardly in parallel fashion and aresubstantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the bottom wall 70.A plurality of spaced longitudinally extending ribs 80, 82, 84 areprovided on each of the outer surfaces of the bottom wall 70 and sidewall portions 76, 78 to result in reduced friction and smooth slidingwith the inner surfaces of 56, 62 and 60, respectively, of jamb 16.

As a result of the outward angle of the side walls 72, 74, the side wallportions 76, 78 are spaced farther apart than are the side walls at thepoint of their attachment 86, 88 to the bottom wall 70.

A longitudinally extending circular channel 90 is provided within thechannel defined by the bottom wall 70 and side walls 72, 74. The channel90 is attached to the inner surface of the bottom wall 70 by means of alongitudinally extending web 92. The channel 90 serves to receive thesash tongue 94 to thus secure the Weatherstrip to the sash 26. The outerends 96, 98 of the channel 90 side walls are curved outwardly to conformto the configuration of the bulb-shaped portion 95 of the sash tongue94. This arrangement prevents separation of the Weatherstrip and sashtongue and provides a simple attachment of the weatherstrip to the sash.

It will be noted that the channel 90 has an interior radius which isslightly larger than the exterior radius of the bulb portion 95. Thisrelatively loose fit permits the channel 90 to receive sash tongueswhich may be of slightly varying dimensions. However, the reverselycurved ends 96, 98 of the channel 90 are closer together than the neckportion 97 of the tongue 94 to snugly engage the neck portion and form afluid-tight seal.

The stile 30 of the sash 26 is channel-shaped to receive the window pane48 which is glazed therein by a plastic glazing strip 100. The web 102of the stile 30 is fabricated to form the sash tongue 94 comprisingbulb-shaped portion 95 having the neck portion 97 from which extendsspaced-apart longitudinally extending wall portions 104, 106. The sashtongue 94 is thus a hollow member. This tongue shape provides means forattaching the weatherstrip 68 lengthwise thereon. As will be noted inFIGURE 3, each end 108, 110 of the bulb portion 95 is upset to thusfirmly engage the ends of the channel 90 and prevent sliding of theWeatherstrip 68 along the sash tongue.

In assemblying the window construction 10, the sash 26 may be slid intothe jambs 14, 16 prior to mounting of the header 18. The Weatherstrip 68is, of course, previously secured to the sash tongue 94 by inserting thebulb portion 95 into the channel 90. As will be appreciated, the sidewalls of the channel 90 are relatively flexible and will permitinsertion of the sash tongue 94 and will subsequently resume theiroriginal position as shown in FIGURE 2 with ends 96 and 98 gripping theneck 97 to form a weather seal.

In operation of the invention, the slidable sash 26 may be moved up anddown the channel 66 with the ribs 80, 82, 84 maintaining sealingengagement with the inner surfaces of the legs 60, 62 and flange 56. Theribs 80, 82, 84 also provide for line contact with the channel surfacesto thus result in reduced friction and smooth sliding. The end portions76, 78 of the Weatherstrip side walls 72, 74 are spaced apart a distancesomewhat more than the spacing of the interior surfaces of the channel66 side walls. The Weatherstrip side walls 72, 74 deflect inwardly whenmounted in the channel 66 to form a weathertight seal with the channelinterior surfaces. A deviation in the size of the channel will notrequire the use of a different size Weatherstrip and still a seal isalways provided. The Weatherstrip 68 will perform adequately in channelswhich have a considerable dimensional varia tion.

As will be appreciated, it is difiicult to maintain close toleranceswhen fabricating the jambs 14, 16. The use of the Weatherstrip 68permits wider variations than would otherwise be permissible withresultant reduced manufacturing costs in terms of quality control. Thisresult is due to the fact that the Weatherstrip channel is independentof the side wall construction 72, 74. Thus, the side walls 72, 74 aredeflected to engage the interior surfaces of the jambs 14, 16, while thechannel 90 independently engages and forms a tight seal with the sashtongue 94. An additional advantage of the invention resides in the factthat it is only necessary that the Weatherstrip be equal in length tothe length of the sash tongue 94. In most prior art constructions,weatherstrips have been mounted in the window jamb rather than on thesash. In prior art constructions it is consequently necessary to providea Weatherstrip having a length equal to the length of the jamb.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A Weatherstrip for a sliding window construction comprising anelongated member fabricated from an organic polymeric material, saidmember being generally channel-shaped in cross-section and havingoutwardly angled flexible side wall portions which are deflectable forsubstantially leak-free sliding contact of the free end portions thereofwith the interior wall surfaces of a receiving channel, and attachingmeans-formed within the Weatherstrip channel and integrally therewith,said attaching means including wall means for pressure engagement withand for leak-free securement to a window sash, the location ofintegration of said attaching means with the Weatherstrip channel beingspaced from the outermost portions of the side walls to permit flexingof said outermost portion.

2. A Weatherstrip for a sliding window construction, the Weatherstripbeing for attachment to the stile of a window sash for mounting the sashin a receiving channel, said Weatherstrip comprising an elongated memberfabricated from an organic polymeric material, said member beinggenerally channel-shaped in cross-section and having outwardly angledflexible side walls, said side walls at their widest spacing exceedingthe width of the intended receiving channel for substantially leakfreesliding contact of the free end portions thereof with the interior wallsurfaces of the receiving channel, and attaching means formed within theWeatherstrip channel and integrally therewith, said attaching meansincluding wall means for pressure engagement with and for leakfreesecurement to a window sash, the location of integration of saidattaching means with the Weatherstrip channel being spaced inwardly fromthe widest spacing of the channel side walls to permit flexing of theportion of the side walls beyond said location of integration.

3. A Weatherstrip for a sliding window construction comprising anelongated member fabricated from an organic polymeric material, saidmember being generally channel-shaped in cross-section and having abottom wall with outwardly angled resilient side walls which aredeflectable for substantially leak-free sliding contact of the free endportions thereof with the interior wall surfaces of a receiving channel,said bottom wall having a longitudinally extending rib structure on theexterior surface thereof for sealing engagement with the interiorsurface of the bottom wall of the receiving channel, and attaching meansformed within the Weatherstrip channel and integrally therewith, saidattaching means including wall means for pressure engagement with andfor leakfree securement to a window sash, the location of in tegrationof said attaching means being spaced inwardly from the outermostportions of the side walls to permit flexing of the outermost portionsof the side walls beyond said location of integration.

4. A Weatherstrip for a sliding window construction comprising anelongated member fabricated from an organic polymeric material, saidmember being generally channel-shaped in cross-section and having abottom wall with outwardly angled flexible side walls, the side wallseach having a longitudinally extending rib structure on the exteriorsurfaces thereof for substantially lealefree sliding contact of the freeend portions of the side walls with the interior wall surfaces of areceiving channel, and attaching means formed within the Weatherstripchannel and integrally therewith, said attaching means including wallmeans for pressure engagement with and for leak-free securement to aWindow sash, the location of integration of said attaching means withthe Weatherstrip channel being spaced inwardly from the outermostportions of the side walls to permit flexing of the portion of the sidewalls beyond said location of integration.

5. A Weatherstrip for a sliding window comprising an elongated memberfabricated from an organic polymeric material, said member beinggenerally channel-shaped in cross-section and having a bottom wall withside walls extending therefrom, the first portion ofthe side walls beingoutwardly angled and the terminal portion of the side walls beingsubstantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the plane ofthe bottom Wall, said walls being defiectable for substantiallyleak-free sliding contact of the terminal portions thereof with theinterior wall surfaces of areceiving channel, and attaching means formedWithin the Weatherstrip channel and integrally therewith for leak-freesecurement to a window sash, the location of integration of saidattaching means with the Weatherstrip channel being spaced inwardly fromthe outermost portions of the side walls to permit flexing of thepontionof the side walls beyond said location of integration.

6. A Weatherstrip for a sliding window construction comprising anelongated member fabricated from an organic polymeric material, saidmember being generally channel-shaped in cross-section and havingoutwardly angled flexible side walls which are deflectable forsubtantially leak-free sliding contact of the free end portions thereofwith the interior wall surfaces of a receiving channel, andchannel-shaped attaching means formed within the Weatherstrip channeland integrally therewith for leak-free securement to a window sash, thelocation of integration of said attaching means with the Weatherstripchannel being spaced inwardly from the outermost portions of the sideWalls to permit flexing of the portion of the side walls beyond saidlocation of integration.

7. A Weatherstrip for a sliding window construction comprising anelongated member fabricated from an organic polymeric material, saidmember being generally channel-shaped in cross-section and having abottom wall with outwardly angled resilient side walls which aredefiectable for substantially leak-free sliding contact of the-free endportions thereof with the interior wall surfaces of a receiving channel,an attaching channel formed within the Weatherstrip channel forsecurement to a window sash, and a web extending between said attachingchannel and the bottom wall securing the attaching channel to the bottomwall.

8. A Weatherstrip for a sliding Window construction comprising anelongated member fabricated from an organic polymeric material, saidmember being generally channel shaped in cross-section and havingoutwardly angled flexible side walls which are deformable forsubstantially leak-free sliding contact with the interior wall surfacesof a receiving channel, and a circular att aching channel secured withinthe Weatherstrip channel and integrally therewith for leak-freesecurement to a window sash, the location of integration of saidattaching channel with the Weatherstrip channel being spaced inwardlyfrom the outermost portions of the side walls to permit flexing of theportion of the side walls beyond said location of integration.

9. A Weatherstrip for a sliding window construction comprising anelongated member fabricated from an organic polymeric material, saidmember being generally channel-shaped in cross-section and having abottom wall with side walls extending therefrom, the first portion ofsaid side walls being outwardly angled and the terminal portions thereofbeing substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to theplane of the bottom wall, said side walls being flexible forsubstantially leakfree sliding contact of the terminal portions thereofwith the interior wall surfaces of a receiving channel, and an attachingchannel formed within the Weatherstrip channel for securement to thetongue of a window sash, said attaching channel being separate from theoutermost portions of the side walls to permit flexing of the sideWalls, said attaching channel having interior dimensions slightly largerthan the exterior diameter of the intended sash tongue portion to bereceived therein, the attaching channel having a re-entrant openingsmaller than the intended sash tongue portion to be located therein forleak-free contact therewith.

References (Iited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,102,403 7/1914Hamm 2054 1,696,588 12/1928 Bailey 29644.5 1,869,760 8/1932 Madsen 20691,981,355 11/1934 Harnm 20-52 X 1,997,822 4/1935 Hamm et al. 189-732,264,588 12/1941 Rydquist 2069 2,357,700 9/1944 Taurman 18973 2,711,2326/1955 Toth 189-75 X 3,018,525 1/1962 Deisenroth 2052 CHARLES E.OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, REINALDO P. MACHA- DO, Examiners.

W. E. HEATON, Assistant Examiner.

6. A WEATHERSTRIP FOR A SLIDING WINDOW CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING ANELONGATED MEMBER FABRICATED FROM AN ORGANIC POLYMERIC MATERIAL, SAIDMEMBER BEING GENERALLY CHANNEL-SHAPED IN CROSS-SECTION AND HAVINGOUTWARDLY ANGLED FLEXIBLE SIDE WALLS WHICH ARE DEFLECTABLE FORSUBTANTIALLY LEAK-FREE SLIDING CONTACT OF THE FREE END PORTIONS THEREOFWITH THE INTERIOR WALL SURFACES OF A RECEIVING CHANNEL, ANDCHANNEL-SHAPED ATTACHING MEANS FORMED WITHIN THE WEATHERSTRIP CHANNELAND INTEGRALLY THEREWITH FOR LEAK-FREE SECUREMENT TO A WINDOW SASH, THELOCATION OF INTEGRATION OF SAID ATTACHING MEANS WITH THE WEATHERSTRIPCHANNEL BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE OUTERMOST PORTIONS OF THE SIDEWALLS TO PERMIT FLEXING OF THE PORTION OF THE SIDE WALLS BEYOND SAIDLOCATION OF INTEGRATION.